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So why haven't the Rooney's talked about a Tomlin extension?

Are the Steelers unhappy with the job performance of Super Bowl-winning coach Mike Tomlin?

Strange as that might seen, it appears to be the case.

Historically, the Steelers have extended their coach when there were two years remaining on his contract. That is where Tomlin stands with his original contract with the Steelers. Yet there is little or no movement towards extending Tomlin, whose team failed to make the playoffs last season after winning the Super Bowl the previous year.

In his weekly chat at post-gazette.com Tuesday, Ed Bouchette shed some light on what was going on.

When Bouchette was asked if the team president Art Rooney was waiting to see how the upcoming season goes, Bouchette answered, ``There is no talk of any talks going on and the longer it lingers, the less likely it wMike Tomlinill get done.’’

A subsequent questioner mentioned the lack of negotiations and asked, `` Most people think that is because the Steelers are resistant to extending the deal, however, could it be that Tomlin's salary demands are too high?’’

I’m not suggesting Bouchette as omnipotent in these matters, but his handle among the media is as good as any and better than almost, if not, all.

So what’s the problem? Why have the Steelers resisted extending a coach, who, if he were on the open market, would have suitors galore?

A hint of what the problem is might have come out when Santonio Holmes was traded. In some of the reporting of that trade, it was revealed that Holmes had been late for team meetings. Note the plural. How is it that a player is late for more than one meeting? Who does Holmes think he is? Plaxico Burress?

I was shocked when I read that Holmes had been tardy. I know it happens, but to happen multiple times on the Steelers -- where the coach knows ownership always has his back -- could be considered the sign of a team with discipline that is too lax.

I further learned, and this is hard to believe but it comes from a good source, that players were showing up late for flights. And Tomlin was accommodating their tardiness by holding the plane.

If that’s the kind of ship Tomlin is running, it’s perfectly understandable Rooney is hesitant to extend his contract.

In the aftermath of the recent disappointing season, where the Steelers too often relied on the passing of Ben Roethlisberger, Rooney let it be known he wanted to see a more efficient running game next season.

Maybe that’s not the only thing Rooney wants to see next season. Maybe he wants to see a coach more firmly in control of his team. That could have been, in part, the reason for trading Holmes. If Holmes were a flagrant rule-breaker, Rooney assisted Tomlin in re-establishing discipline by removing the problem from the team.

The last thing the Steelers want to do is not rehire Tomlin. No team in sports understand the importance of continuity. The Steelers, in fact, has shown the sporting world the importance of continuity. Tomlin has the makings of an excellent coach and the Steelers would love to have him here for decades.

But not if he can’t establish discipline on his own team.

--- Added 6/10/2010 at 03:42 AM ---

Notice "I was shocked when I read that Holmes had been tardy. I know it happens, but to happen multiple times on the Steelers -- where the coach knows ownership always has his back -- could be considered the sign of a team with discipline that is too lax."

You can come and say "Owned" when he is gone. Rooney have also said that they want Tomlin to be the coach in Pittsburgh for a long long time, so i really do not think you should read too much into it yet. Steelers don't really handle these things like they used to anymore.

However much you think you know about football, rest assured that Skip Bayless knows more!

There is a new team president now, has anyone even considered that? Maybe Art has always hated the way his dad has done certain things. Maybe they are waiting to see what happens with Colbert? Maybe if Colbert leaves they will give Tomlin more direct roster control? There are way too many maybes to even speculate about this.

i think maybe a 2 year extension is warranted but they have no ties to him, hes shown to be a mediocre coach and pretends to be a hard *** at the teams expense. his drafting leaves much to be desired and he HAS to know that hes being a pussy with the arians situation....really that needs to change before i gain any respect for tomlin. i dont think he can (like cowher) build a championship roster or gameplan like a top coach. guys like himself, rex ryan, sean payton, jim caldwell have shown that rookie coaches can be successful, they really don have to keep him, theres gonna be a line of people that want this job

i think maybe a 2 year extension is warranted but they have no ties to him, hes shown to be a mediocre coach and pretends to be a hard *** at the teams expense. his drafting leaves much to be desired and he HAS to know that hes being a pussy with the arians situation....really that needs to change before i gain any respect for tomlin. i dont think he can (like cowher) build a championship roster or gameplan like a top coach. guys like himself, rex ryan, sean payton, jim caldwell have shown that rookie coaches can be successful, they really don have to keep him, theres gonna be a line of people that want this job

He will let Arians take him down....

tomlin needed to remove BA last year after the last game.
or after the browns game.

Tomlin is most likely going to get a year or two more to prove his worth. Hes still got a positive record, hes been in the POs 2 out of 3 years, and he is 3-1 in the POs. Its really hard to ignore those facts. With that being said, he needs to show he is the leader of this team now, and make the most of those draft picks hes gotten. If he can get something good going within a year or two, i see them locking him up for quite a few years, if not, he is not really Steelers material.

However much you think you know about football, rest assured that Skip Bayless knows more!

The Rooney's shouldn't be in any hurry to extend Tomlin here. He's got 2 years left on his deal, he has to prove that he can build a championship team first. He inherited just such a team when he got here and basically all he had to do was sprinkle in some key additions at LB, RB, and replace some coaches that needed to go, and he Viola` you got yourself a win in SB XLIII. Now the real problems are starting to show and this is where Tomlin will make his mark one way or the other. The veterans on this team are aging on defense especially and people aren't as healthy as they used to be. Ziggy Hood needs to step up and be counted on in the playing time he gets. Polamalu has to stay healthy, Clark needs to stop going for the homerun hit every time, Farrior doesn't have much left in the tank either. There is absolutely no reason that Pouncey should not be starting at Center when the regular season opens. He's your #1 draft pick, get his butt in there.

Bringing back guys like Foote and El are good bandaids for another year or 2 to buy him some time to get more bodies in here but sooner or later his draft picks are going to have to step up. Hines isn't going to last more than another year or 2 at the most. Wallace was money last year and hopefully he continues that trend but beyond that we have a whole lot of question marks on this team still at WR. Bringing back McFadden was a brilliant move, and he'll solidify that secondary as long as Troy can stay healthy.

As far as coaches go, Arians has got to go, how he continues to defend him is beyond me. It's a no brainer, Arians wants to throw throw throw and our lack of 3rd down conversions especially in short yardage is terrible. If we don't run the ball, we're gonna be sitting here next year (if there is a next year at this point) saying the same thing. You need to have a FB in there in front of Mendenhall to take the pressure off whoever is going to be the QB for atleast the first month of the season. I don't care who they pick, none of them can do what Ben does in pressure situations behind the line that we have. The offensive line, yeah we all know their problems. The debacle with the Starks contract was ridiculous and it's taken them how long to finally just maybe now, find a solid interior offensive group with Kemo, Pouncey, and Essex. Colon should have been a Guard all along but he's adequate enough at RT now. This group just cannot seem to get it together, whether it's personnel or coaching or both. Perhaps the new OL coach will help. You live and die by your OL, and so far we've been dying more than living.

All in all, Tomlin has a lot of work to do before he should be offered a new deal.